But I wasn't alone. The Physical Trainer/Massage Therapist who was retained to massage the team and organized the ride also got dropped. But that was because she had surgery 7 weeks ago and this was only her 4th ride since surgery.

It was pleasant, mid 60's and sunny, but a stiff northwest wind was the culprit. This was billed as a 18-22 mph recovery ride, but when you put Olympic athletes in a "competitive" environment like a pace line, it's every many for himself. None the less, it was a great ride.

Heading out to the beach was not bad as we had a bit of a tail wind. When we got to A1A, we encountered a stiff headwind. That's when the fun began. Due to traffic lights and construction delays, the PT/MT and I finished only about 1/8 mi behind the kids.

After a brief stop at the beach, we started back home. Going south was easy and I took up the 2nd place position. WHen we stopped at a light I realized that PT/MT was way behind and alone. I stayed back, along with another club member, and we completed the final 20 mi together.

It was a memorable ride, one that I wish I could have been more competitive on, but even though we finished 10 min behind the kids, they invited us to join them for coffee at Starbucks.

It's scary to think that some of these kids are young enough to be my grandkids.
Sorry for the poor quality. We only had 2 cell phone cameras, and mine didn't work. But I did get a pic! By the way, I'm the schlub in the black Hammer kit on the right of the gap.